


A Light in the Darkness

by octobot



Category: Altered Carbon (TV)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:27:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28118454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octobot/pseuds/octobot
Summary: After the fighting is done, when the sound of the slap is no longer echoing off the wall, silence settles like an unease truce in the middle of a war-torn battlefield. That's when Takeshi takes Reileen's hand and with silent urging draws her out of the closet. Past the kitchen where their mother weeps, clutching her face, past their father in the living room, back to them as he downs yet another whiskey, all the way to the back door of the house. In the face of the chilly autumn afternoon he layers her with everything they have, only relenting when she squeaks in protest when her feet barely squeeze into her small boots. And then he takes her hand again and he pulls her out of the darkness they were told to call Home and into the light of the forest they choose to call Freedom.---OR---A moment of sunlight in a childhood of darkness.
Relationships: Reileen Kawahara & Takeshi Kovacs
Comments: 8
Kudos: 7
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	A Light in the Darkness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [voleuse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/voleuse/gifts).



> Accompanying [playlist on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4CBnoNqT3QMlveqSAaTbuf?si=_zNQTCJsRoSqyiD7NgGkXQ)

After the fighting is done, when the sound of the slap is no longer echoing off the wall, silence settles like an unease truce in the middle of a war-torn battlefield. That's when Takeshi takes Reileen's hand and with silent urging draws her out of the closet. Past the kitchen where their mother weeps, clutching her face, past their father in the living room, back to them as he downs yet another whiskey, all the way to the back door of the house. In the face of the chilly autumn afternoon he layers her with everything they have, only relenting when she squeaks in protest when her feet barely squeeze into her small boots. And then he takes her hand again and he pulls her out of the darkness they were told to call Home and into the light of the forest they choose to call Freedom.

He doesn't remember when the abuse started, maybe it's been there for all eternity, a constant throughout time and space, but he remembers when they found the woods. It was an accidental discovery, fleeing from a fight that had escalated far enough that the plaster wall of the living room crumbled when his mother's head hit it, and he'd grabbed his sister and fled, his only thought to keep her from that fate, protect her at all costs. They'd burst from the back door and sprinted for the forest, and the trees had stretched out their arms and welcomed them. Welcomes them again every time they return.

The fight today starts early, triggered by some spat at his father's job, and so the sun is still high in the sky as it filters through the leaves, bursts of gold and red as winter slowly reaches its chilling hands towards them. Hand in hand they walk, following the trail that deer lay down, guiding them on the path of least resistance deeper into the protective foliage.

As they finally break through the brambles that line the woods and step in amongst the looming trunks he feels the tension seep out of them both, absorbed by the soft pine needle ground. Branches reach out as they move, hiding the house from view and as it vanishes, so does the oppressive silence surrounding it, creatures of all kinds recognizing the darkness that lives there, giving it a wide berth. Finally in the forest proper, it's like a bubble has popped and suddenly the area comes alive. Above, bird song rains gently down on them, the trilling and peeping of a feathered community alive and active out of sight above. To their left they spot a mother deer and young doe and human and animal pair alike stop to regard each other with wide eyes. By unspoken agreement, each returns to their own task, respectfully leaving the other undisturbed.

They pause often, first so she could examine a delicate sapling, barely taller than her own short stature. Thin limbs reach towards the distant sun above, eager to grow. A single leaf hangs from a low branch, a rainbow of sunset colors, and it drifts to the ground when her small finger reverently brushes it. Crouching, one hand still clutching his tightly, she scoops the leaf up and tucks it in her pocket. The first of many trophies they will gather this afternoon.

The next stop is at a narrow bubbling creek, the crystal clear water tumbling over and around glacier smoothed rocks, murmuring a lullaby that echoes a barely recalled memory. She points to a blue speckled blur below the rippling surface and so he sits to remove his shoes and wades into the ice cold water to fetch the perfectly round stone that has caught her eye. This, like the flame bright leaf, vanishes into her pocket.

The path they walk now is familiar, trod a thousand times as they fled a thousand nightmare days, but the forest is not a static object, it is a living, breathing organism, and every day brings new and surprising discoveries. Today's comes when they step into a small clearing that did not exist before, opened up when an older tree finally gives in after a lifetime of battling gravity, tearing a hole in the canopy that the sun floods through. She gasps in delight as they step into the sun, releasing his hand to sprint into the center of a blanket of bluebells that have popped up to celebrate the light, filling the air with the twinkling of chimes as the blossoms sway in the breeze. Her laughter ripples through the glade as she throws her arms wide and spins, a small child swaddled in cotton and wool, surrounded by a sea of lapis blue and lavender, dark hair shimmering in the golden shine from above. 

He follows her in, stepping carefully to avoid crushing the delicate blossoms, and when he reaches her he tucks flowers and small ferns in her hair until she turns into an animated wood nymph, wild and at home amongst the foliage. As with any Fae one might come across in the woods, when she gestures for him to kneel before her, he does so without hesitation. Now a warrior at the command of a fairy queen, loyal, loving, and dedicated until the end. She pulls the sunset leaf from her pocket and tucks it behind his ear, frowning slightly as she fiddles with it until satisfied. Then her hand is back out, and he rises and takes it, drawing them out of the sunshine and back under the trees.

The final destination for the day is a thicket of blackberries, branches heavy with berries that they have been watching with delighted anticipation as they slowly ripened. Today, they are finally ready, fat juicy berries that he gathers by the handful and brings to her where she sits on a small boulder to watch. They eat until she's stuffed full, a supplement to the meager dinner that awaits them back home, and he feels a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that tonight, at least, she will sleep soundly with a full belly. She smiles down at him where he is sprawled in the leaves below her granite throne, her lips and cheeks stained purple from the berries, and offers him the berries she holds, always ready to share what's hers with him. 

On their way back, they stop again at the babbling brook, and he scrubs her face clean, ignoring protests about the chilly water, cupping his hands around her cheeks to warm them again when he's done. Foreheads touch as the moment settles around them, calm and peaceful, and he wishes with all his heart that they could stay here, deep in the woods, just the two of them, like it always was supposed to be, but soon the sun will set, and their absence will be noticed. So he takes her hand again and they head back out of the forest, stopping to say goodnight to the deer and doe who have settled into their own nest of leaves for the night.

At the edge of the tree line, still just out of sight, they pause and he lifts a wide smooth rock revealing a small hole. She squats before it, carefully unloading berries, leaves, rocks, twigs, and other small treasures she has gathered, placing them one by one with deliberate care. He helps her pluck all the flowers and leaves from her hair, adding those like a rainbow blanket over the offerings to the forest, a thank you for another afternoon of protection and tranquility.

Early tomorrow morning, when the fog is still heavy on the ground and the house still sleeps, he will return and remove everything from below the rock, returning it all to the woods. When she wakes, she will rush to the rock, bouncing eagerly as she waits for him to lift it, revealing only emptiness, and she will dance in delight, radiant that the forest has accepted her carefully curated set of gifts.

But for now the sunlight is fading, and so he takes her hand and they stand together, looking at the house they are supposed to call Home, Freedom at their backs giving them strength, then they take a deep breath and step back into the darkness.


End file.
